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2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season (zal0phus)
The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season '''was the first in a series of four consecutive hyperactive and extremely destructive Atlantic hurricane seasons. Producing 19 cyclones, 13 hurricanes, and a then-record-tying 7 major hurricanes, the season was the most active since 2017, signifying an abrupt end to the brief inactive phase that had begun in 2019. In addition, Claudette, the strongest storm of the season, became the most intense Atlantic hurricane since Wilma 16 years earlier. The deadliest season since 1998, the 2021 hurricane season's impact was widespread and severe, inflicting some $152 billion USD in damages across the Atlantic basin, chiefly due to five of the season's seven major hurricanes- Claudette, Ida, Kate, Larry, and Rose. Hurricane Bill claimed the most in human lives, killing around 4,300 people as a result of torrential flooding it instigated while stalling over Tabasco, Veracruz, and Tamaulipas. Claudette, a devastating Category 5 annular hurricane, inflicted catastrophic damage in the Florida Keys; Ida, one of the longest-lived hurricanes recorded, inflicted Category 4 damage in Nicaragua and slammed into Southwest Florida as a large Category 3; Kate, the largest Atlantic hurricane on record, made landfall north of Galveston, Texas as a very large Category 3, inflicting extreme damage; Larry crossed over Costa Rica into the Pacific and made an unprecedented landfall on Southern California as a Category 2; and Rose first crossed south Florida before making the strongest recorded Canadian landfall. Timeline }} Forecasts Most annual hurricane prediction outlets initially suggested a very inactive season similar to the previous year's, which had occurred in the wake of a very strong El Nino. The first forecast was released by TSR in December of 2020, calling for an inactive season with 8 storms, 3 to 4 hurricanes, and 0 to 1 major hurricanes. In April of 2021, CSU, NOAA, and UKMET issued their forecasts, calling for seasonal totals of 10/5/1, 6/2/0, and 12/6/2 respectively. All these forecasts would come to be proven wrong however; the present El Nino, though it remained intact until July, abruptly collapsed in the beginning of August 2021 and gave way to cool-neutral ENSO conditions. A midseason forecast issued by TSR in early September came the closest to predicting the actual amount of cyclones; calling for 16 storms, 9 hurricanes, and 4 major hurricanes. Even so, activity was still substantially greater. Systems '''Hurricane Ana Hurricane Ana was the first storm and first major hurricane of the season. Forming at an unusually late date of August 1, it coalesced from a tropical wave emerging past Cape Verde and began a steady movement west across the Atlantic. It explosively intensified north of the Antilles, reaching its peak intensity of 155 mph and 920 mbar north of Hispaniola, and a landfall in coastal Georgia as a high-end Category 3 was briefly feared. However, Ana paralleled the East Coast at a distance and weakened as it went, ultimately landfalling north of Portland, Maine as a weak tropical storm with winds of 45 mph, where it inflicted negligible damages and caused no fatalities. Hurricane Bill Hurricane Bill was the deadliest storm of the season. A fast-moving tropical wave exited the coast of Senegal on August 16 and tracked across the Atlantic without development due to the interference of Hurricane Ana. After moving into the Caribbean on August 19, the wave coalesced into Tropical Storm Bill on August 20. The storm crossed the Yucatan shortly after and emerged into the Bay of Campeche, whereupon it intensified into a strong and extremely large Category 1 hurricane. A collapse of steering currents led Bill's intensification to halt and caused it to move extremely slowly south for days, and Bill eventually made landfall near Coatzacolcos, Veracruz with winds of 80 mph and an unusually high storm surge of 10 feet. Due to the brown ocean effect, Bill retained its structure inland as it slowly meandered north through coastal central Mexico, dropping torrential rains as it went. Bill finally exited into the ocean from coastal Tamaulipas as a tropical depression, and it briefly regained tropical storm status as it made landfall near Corpus Christi, Texas shortly after. It lost tropical status hours later. Hurricane Claudette Hurricane Claudette was the strongest hurricane of the season, the deepest since Wilma nearly twenty years prior. A potent tropical wave moved off Sierra Leone on August 21 and quickly tracked across the Atlantic, struggling with shear and dry air at first. On August 23, it unexpectedly wrapped up its circulation and was designated Tropical Storm Claudette well southeast of the Lesser Antilles. It gradually intensified as it skirted the islands, reaching its initial peak intensity as a 135-mph Category 4 just north of Puerto Rico. As Claudette passed through the southern Bahamas, it weakened to a Category 3 as it underwent an eyewall-replacement cycle and engulfed dry wind into its circulation. Gradual but relentless intensification followed after dry air was removed from the system. Claudette unexpectedly intensified into a Category 5 tropical cyclone shortly thereafter, and within several hours made its first landfall on Andros Island with winds of 165 mph and a central pressure of 907 mbar, devastating the isle. After moving offshore into the Florida Straits, Claudette took on annular characteristics and achieved its peak strength of 898 mbar with winds of 180 mph. For much of Claudette's existence in the southern and central Bahamas, a landfall in south-central Florida near Jupiter was feared and predicted by models; however, the cyclone continued to move west through the Florida Straits in defiance of predictions. Undergoing an eyewall replacement cycle, Claudette made landfall on Big Pine Key in the Florida Keys as a slow-moving 155-mph Category 4. The turn predicted by the models manifested once Claudette entered the eastern Gulf of Mexico; the storm briefly regained Category 5 strength a fair distance southeast of the Mississippi River Delta and curved to the northeast, weakening as it went. Hurricane Claudette made landfall in unincorporated Dixie County, Florida as a very large Category 3. Its eye passing directly over Cross City, Claudette accelerated northeast across land and emerged into the Atlantic near Jacksonville as a struggling Category 1. The hurricane reintensified into a weak Category 2 on its final landfall near Charleston, South Carolina, whereupon it once again accelerated northeast, emerged into the Atlantic near Norfolk, Virginia as a tropical storm, and shot northeast across the ocean. Claudette reached major hurricane status a final time a fair distance off the coast of Nova Scotia and became extratropical shortly thereafter. Tropical Storm Danny A robust tropical wave was noted off the coast of Mauritania on August 27. Coinciding with predictions, the wave organized quickly and was designated Tropical Storm Danny early on August 29. Despite being projected to quickly organize into a long-tracking major hurricane, Danny remained diffuse and weak. Wind shear decimated it through its brief existence, and Danny dissipated on September 3. Its remnants would contribute to the genesis of Hurricane Henri. Hurricane Elsa A persistent low over the Bay of Campeche unexpectedly coalesced into a tropical depression on September 3 and was designated Elsa six hours later. The nascent system remained unchanging as it moved north along the Mexican coast over the next day, though massive lightning bursts were noted in its developing convection. During the night of September 4, Elsa explosively intensified and organized itself, making landfall just south of the Rio Grande estuary in the dawn hours of September 5 at peak strength as it was intensifying. Elsa's structure fell apart once on land and it dissipated over the Sierra Madre Oriental that evening. Tropical Storm Fred A tropical wave, which would also eventually spawn Hurricane Grace, split in two off the coast of Senegal. Its southern portion moved south and was designated Tropical Storm Fred on September 8. Notably, the cyclone formed at an unusually southerly latitude, beating out Hurricane Isidore of 1990. The storm approached the Equator after slowly intensifying but was ripped apart by unfavorable winds; it dissipated well southeast of the Lesser Antilles on September 11. Its remnants would go on to produce a waterspout near Tobago. Hurricane Grace The northern half of the tropical wave that spawned Fred continued to move westward across the tropical Atlantic, coalescing into a tropical depression late on September 8 and being named Grace on the morning of September 10. Plagued with wind shear for much of its lifespan as well as cool SSTs left by Claudette's rampage, Grace reached maximum intensity as a Category 2 in the southern Bahamas but steadily weakened thereafter, making landfall near Homestead, Florida as a weak Category 1, in coastal Georgia as a tropical storm, and dissipating shortly after. Hurricane Henri The remnants of Danny merged with a complex non-tropical low over the Florida Straits on September 13; the combined system was designated Hurricane Henri the following day. Henri quickly moved south and made an unusual landfall on the northern coast of the Yucatan; afterwards, it quickly moved north across the Gulf and made landfall on Intracoastal City, Louisiana as a tropical storm. It retained tropical characteristics until reaching northwestern Indiana. Hurricane Ida Ida was one of the longest-lived hurricanes known. An extremely potent tropical wave moved off of Dakar, Senegal on September 16 and was named Tropical Storm Ida early on September 17. The incipient cyclone moved slowly west across the Atlantic and gradually intensified as it went, eventually making a highly unusual landfall on coastal Venezuela as a 125-mph Category 3. It weakened as it made its way across the far southern Caribbean; however, it rapidly intensified off the coast of Nicaragua and made landfall on the Mosquito Coast at peak intensity, inflicting devastating damage. It curved along the periphery of the Bay of Honduras, weakening to a Category 1, and began an extremely slow movement towards southwestern Florida. Ida underwent multiple eyewall replacement cycles during this time and dramatically grew in size. After making landfall on Punta Gorda, Florida as a very large Category 3, Ida moved through the southwestern Atlantic at an agonizingly slow pace and maintained low-end Category 4 status, lashing the Carolinas with devastating waves and its outer bands for many days. Ida died a slow death in the central Atlantic ocean, meandering in the region and slowly weakening for well over a week. Tropical Storm Julian A low of non-tropical origin in the central Atlantic developed into Subtropical Storm Julian on September 23. On September 25, Julian gained tropical characteristics and was designated a tropical storm. Slowly gaining strength, it caused large swells in Bermuda before dissipating on September 29. . . . . Hurricane Kate Hurricane Kate, at the time the largest Atlantic cyclone, made the most intense Atlantic hurricane landfall on record. A vortex spun off from Hurricane Ida meandered south in the southwestern Atlantic, where it combined with an undeveloped low of non-tropical origin, and developed a full circulation, being designated as Tropical Storm Kate on September 25 north of Hispaniola. It made landfall in the Dominican Republic hours later and crossed the island, dropping significant rains as it went. Kate emerged into the Caribbean as a tropical depression and tracked westward. As it passed through abnormally warm SSTs in the Yucatan Channel, Kate's structure markedly improved and it explosively intensified, reaching Category 5 status for the first time as it passed north of the Yucatan. An eyewall replacement cycle halted its intensification and more than doubled its radius of winds. As Kate moved north through the western Gulf of Mexico, it reached peak intensity and maximum size, becoming the then-largest Atlantic tropical cyclone on record. A landfall akin to that of Katrina in the vicinity of Houston was universally predicted by models, and consequently a massive evacuation was initiated. Kate weakened as it approached land, engulfing a large plume of dry air, and ultimately made landfall as a 115-mph Category 3 of remarkable size on the Bolivar Peninsula, devastating Galveston with an 18-foot storm surge. Kate proceeded inland and dissipated over the Texas Panhandle, bringing much-needed moisture to the area. Hurricane Larry Hurricane Larry was the strongest cyclone to hit California in recorded history. An early-forming Central American Gyre produced Tropical Storm Larry late on September 29, and the nascent system reached Category 2 intensity before making an unusual landfall in Costa Rica. Even more strikingly, Larry survived the Atlantic-Pacific transition, a feat not witnessed since Otto in 2016. Larry remained a Category 1 for several days as it moved through the eastern Pacific; upon reaching an environment of more conducive winds in the vicinity of Jalisco it gained major hurricane status and gradually intensified, soon reaching its peak as a high-end Category 4 well south of Baja California. Accelerating north at remarkable speed, Larry slowly weakened and retained tropical characteristics while doing so. The hurricane made landfall in the vicinity of Chula Vista, California with winds of 105 mph, inflicting "extreme" damage. None of the structures in the area were built for hurricane conditions, causing a leveling of many areas close to the coast. The hurricane dissipated over the dry terrain of southeastern California several hours later. Hurricane Mindy A complex low of non-tropical origin moved off the Alabama coast on October 12 and gained tropical characteristics within hours of emerging into the ocean, being designated as Mindy. The storm quickly organized and intensified to a high-end Category 2 before striking a sparsely populated region of southwest Florida; its effects were scarcely felt in nearby metropolitan areas. Mindy, having moved over the southern parts of Miami as a Category 1, emerged into the Atlantic Ocean, made landfall on Great Abaco, and tracked northeast, where favorable SSTs promoted its intensification into a high-end Category 3. Mindy scraped Bermuda with its eyewall at slightly below peak strength as it accelerated into the far northern Atlantic. It would later hit Ireland as a potent extratropical cyclone. . Tropical Storm Nicholas A Central American Gyre spawned a tropical depression on October 18, which was named Tropical Storm Nicholas twelve hours later. The incipient tropical storm soon moved over Belize at peak intensity, crippling its structure. Nicholas emerged into the Bay of Campeche as a tropical depression and struggled to reorganize as it moved northwest. The cyclone made its final landfall in the vicinity of Rockport, Texas, where it inflicted negligible damage; it dissipated twelve hours later. . . . . Hurricane Odette A late-forming tropical wave reached the Caribbean on October 20, becoming Tropical Storm Odette twelve hours later. A very compact storm, Odette affected the Dutch Antilles as a tropical storm before moving north and intensifying into a Category 1 hurricane; its eyewall scraped the edge of Jamaica. Dry air caused Odette to weaken to a tropical storm as it moved westward between Cuba and Jamaica. Upon reaching the southern Yucatan Channel, Odette gained access to a region of abnormally high SSTs and atmospheric moisture, precipitating its sudden and explosive deepening. Its winds could not keep up with its pressure, and Odette made landfall in Quintana Roo as the strongest known Category 2 hurricane. Odette's passage over land fatally disrupted its structure, and the cyclone remained a low-end tropical storm for the remainder of its existence. It made final landfall in Navarre Beach, Florida and dissipated shortly thereafter. Subtropical Storm Peter A decaying frontal boundary in the North Atlantic spawned Subtropical Storm Peter on November 1. The storm slowly moved east, then northwest over the next several days, dissipating on November 5. Notably, an 80-foot rogue wave was detected within Peter's circulation on November 4. . . . . . Hurricane Rose A low borne from a late-forming Central American Gyre moved east across the Lower Caribbean in a manner akin to 1999's Lenny in the early days of November. On November 5, while slightly north of Colombia, it consolidated into Tropical Depression 18 and was designated Tropical Storm Rose a day later in the first use of that name. Continuing on its anomalous path, Rose made a large curve to the northwest and brushed Vieques before continuing into the southwestern Atlantic. Upon crossing into the Bahamas, Rose reached hurricane status and gradually intensified, wrapping up its circulation as it went. Rose reached major hurricane status shortly before its first landfall near Flamingo, Florida with winds of 120 mph. The cyclone exited into the Atlantic as a tropical storm afterwards and moved northeast. While stalling off the coast of North Carolina, Rose underwent a second and more robust period of rapid intensification, reaching Category 3 status once more. While moving northeast, Rose peaked as a 125-mph Category 3 a fair distance off Cape Cod; it continued to speed northeast too fast to lose much intensity and made landfall in Nova Scotia with winds of 120 mph, the strongest recorded landfalling cyclone in Canadian history. Rose rapidly lost strength over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and dissipated in southern Labrador twelve hours later. . Hurricane Sam A tropical wave reached the Caribbean and consolidated into Tropical Depression 19, becoming Tropical Storm Sam just over a day later. As Sam approached Cuba, it underwent a period of extreme rapid intensification, among the fastest ever recorded. In twelve hours, the cyclone went from a 50-mph tropical storm to a 75-mph Category 1 hurricane to a 105-mph Category 2. Hurricane Sam impacted central Cuba at peak strength and circled back over Cuba once more, making a second landfall south of Havana as a strong tropical storm the following day. The repeated landfalls disrupted Sam's structure, and it made its final landfall near Citrus City, Florida shortly after. The storm persisted over land for a while due to the brown ocean effect and dissipated off the coast of North Carolina. . . . . . . Names and Retirement The following list of names was used for named storms that formed in the North Atlantic in 2021. The names not retired from this list were used again in the 2027 season. This was the same list used in the 2015 season, with the exceptions of Elsa and Julian, which replaced Erika and Joaquin, respectively. The names Elsa, Julian, Rose, and Sam were used for the first time this year. * Ana * Bill * Claudette * Danny * Elsa * Fred * Grace * Henri * Ida * Julian * Kate * Larry * Mindy * Nicholas * Odette * Peter * Rose * Sam Retirement The World Meteorological Organization retired a record-setting six names in the spring of 2022: Bill, Claudette, Ida, Kate, Larry, ''and ''Rose. They were replaced in the 2027 season by ''Brian, Charlotte, Ivy, Kelly, Lando, ''and ''Renata, ''respectively. Category:Atlantic hurricane seasons Category:2021 Atlantic hurricane season Category:Future hurricane seasons